Inside Baghdad: Let Them Eat Cinder Blocks

Let Them Eat Cinder Blocks

Iraqi President SADDAM HUSSEIN may be pleading poverty in his effort to get the U.N. to lift its devastating economic sanctions, but U.S. officials say Saddam has spent approximately $1 billion on palaces and VIP facilities since the Gulf War. One of the most opulent is a palace on Lake Tharthar, about 80 miles northwest of Baghdad, that is said to be five times the size of the White House. When the construction boom is over, the Master Builder of Baghdad, his family and top officials will have roughly 45 getaways, three times the prewar level.